Neutering Your Pet Dog

What Is The Best Age To Neuter My Dog or Bitch (female dog)?

The best time for neutering a dog or bitch is at 5 - 6 months of age. Older dogs or bitches can be neutered at any age providing the dog is healthy and not overweight. A bitch is not normally neutered during a season or a false pregnancy.

Five good reasons to neuter your bitch.

For health reasons. Eliminates the risk of many common "female" diseases. These diseases include false pregnancies (which can be a nuisance), uterine infections also known as a pyometra (life threatening), mammary tumours (life threatening),vaginal prolapse etc. Neutering reduces the risk of epilepsy.

Spaying can prevent or stop unwanted behavioural problems.

Stops your bitch escaping to find a mate (she will try and escape to mate), and so reduces the risk of her being lost, stolen, or being involved in a road accident.

Stops your bitch coming into season (on heat).You will see lots of bleeding from the vulva that normally lasts 2-3 weeks. A bitch will come into season approximately one every 6 months. Stops male dogs gathering round your door (as they will when she is in season).

Prevents your bitch from becoming pregnant!

(Neutering a woman would give rise to hormone problems. However, the ovaries of a bitch spend most of the year inactive so neutering a bitch simply results in maintaining this state permanently and healthily).

Five good reasons to neuter your male dog

Prevents common "male" diseases: prostatic cancer, testicular tumours, anal tumours, prostatic Infections, prostatic cysts and perineal hernias. Also prevents messy "dripping" from the prepuce. Neutered males are less likely to have diabetes or epilepsy. Un-neutered male dogs over 7 years of age have a high risk of all the above disorders. Neutered males are healthier males.

Reduces dog to dog fighting, and lessens the risk of your dog being a target for attack by a bigger, stronger dog.

Reduces "dominant" behaviour. Reduces aggression to people. 80% of bite injuries to people are by entire male dogs!

Reduces unwanted sexual behaviour - "mounting" of legs and small children and "cocking his leg" around the house trying to mark out his territory.

Reduces wandering, roaming is search of a bitch - and so reduces the risk of your dog being lost, stolen or injured in a road accident.

How can I arrange for my dog to be neutered?

Simply telephone us to book your dog's neutering: 01254 53622.

What happens when your dog is neutered?

Your dog will come in the morning and go home in the afternoon. The operation will be carried out in the morning. As with any operation we will ask that your dog does not get any food after 8pm the previous evening. Your dog can have water during the night.

The vet or nurse will examine your dog with you when you arrive. Your dog will be weighed. Any further proceedures necessary will be discussed (we may need to mend other problems at the time of neutering such as cogenital hernias, tooth issues etc).

Your dog will be up and about by early afternoon, and is usually ready to go home soon after 3.00pm.

Dogs have remarkable powers of recovery and are usually back to normal within 3 to 4 days.

Are there any problems with neutering?

Yes there can be, in a small minority. There is a slight increase in risk of stress urinary incontinance in neutered bitches when they get older. This problem happens in entire bitches too (and humans unfortunately). Don't worry we have good medicines to control this problem should it happen. There are also very minor risks of infection and anaesthetic concerns. However and risks are vastly outweighed by the benefits of neutering.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

We never used to neuter male dogs; most vets were male and didn't like the idea! It wasn't until we had enough female vets courageous enough to break the trend that we recognised just how many diseases were eliminated by neutering. We used to see the male diseases listed above on a daily basis (see 'five good reasons to neuter your male dog'). We still see all these disorders but virtually never in neutered males.

We used to neuter about 40% of female dogs in the 70's. The rest all ended up with pyometra, mammary cancers, false pregnancy and hormonal disorders. Now that we neuter 95% of pet bitches all of those disorders are becoming rare. We used to have an emergency pyometra operation at least once a week, now we see only 4 or 5 a year.